The Central Performance Physio Shoulder Program

Do you have persistent shoulder pain that limits your sport, exercise, work or family time?

If so then the Central Performance Shoulder Program could help you. It is specifically designed to treat recurrent or persistent shoulder pain, including problems that have failed to respond to previous treatment programs. It incorporates the latest research on shoulder screening, rehab techniques, injury prediction tests, return-to-sport markers & functional strength integration with whole-body movement.

Who is the shoulder program designed for?

The shoulder program is ideal for you if you have a shoulder problem that;

has temporarily gone away with previous treatment programs but then keeps coming back, eg if feels better when you get treatment & reduce your exercise but comes back again when you re-start exercise

is ok for normal daily activity but gets sore if you get back in to more sport or exercise like swimming, tennis, cricket, gym training or surfing

Also if you have had shoulder surgery, either recently or in the past, then the Shoulder Program is structured perfectly to help you complete your rehab protocol & return to your maximum strength, mobility & performance levels.

Your initial screen – the first step to effective management of shoulder pain

At your first session you will have a comprehensive initial screen to identify specific factors that are driving your painful shoulder. This screen is unique because it looks at whole-body factors that are vital to achieve correct shoulder function, not just local shoulder measures. It is at the forefront of evidence-based shoulder assessment & utilises well-researched tests including;

From the results of your initial screen we develop a structured management program for you. This progresses from hands-on treatment through to specific exercise-based management to achieve the stability & functional strength that you require. If you have a sport or fitness goal in mind then you will progress on to sports-specific strength & conditioning for the final stage of your recovery.

Why screen & look outside the shoulder?

Research shows that persistent shoulder pain, especially in athletes, is often driven by factors far away from your shoulder. For example in a tennis serve biomechanical studies show that 54 % of the total power in your serve comes from your legs & trunk, while remarkably the shoulder only contributes 21% of the total force required. So if your lower body isn’t working efficiently then to create the same speed/velocity of your serve you need to “catch up” with your shoulder. This leads to shoulder overload, early fatigue & subsequent injury. Similarly, research shows that in swimmers a restriction in anterior (front) hip mobility leads to greater drag through the water, which means the shoulder has to work much harder to pull you along. Once again this significantly increases the stress you place on your shoulder & increases your chance of persisting problems.

The Shoulder Program for improved sports performance

In both the tennis serve & swimming examples above you can see how your risk of ongoing shoulder pain is increased when there are limitations of mobility & strength in areas outside your shoulder itself. But this is also a vital key to improving sports performance. If you want to increase the speed of your tennis serve, then screening & correcting strength issues in other areas of your body can have a profound effect. For the swimmer, as you reduce your drag through the water by increasing your anterior hip mobility you can also expect a significant boost to your swim speed.

The key concept here for both performance improvement & injury prevention is whole-body movement efficiency – getting your whole body co-ordinating & moving correctly. This maximises the output (sports speed, strength or control) for the input (energy, effort, time) that you put in. So the screening results & subsequent corrective program delivered by the Shoulder Program can bring you significant improvements in sporting ability as well as reduce your risk of further shoulder pain.

Unique six-stage program structure

The Shoulder Program has been specifically structured to allow every client to progress at their optimum pace according to their injury history, initial screening results & performance goals. It is divided into six stages, with each stage having performance markers that must be reached before progression to the next stage. This delivers a lasting recovery & builds a solid foundation for improved shoulder health & sports performance.

Stages 1-3 of the program ensure that lifestyle-driven shoulder problems are treated effectively & thoroughly to reduce your risk of future problems. Factors such as the role of posture, the movement mechanics required for everyday activities & your functional ability to play social sports are assessed & corrected. Client education is also emphasised to help fully correct lifestyle factors which are often responsible for ongoing shoulder pain.

The Shoulder Program firmly closes the gap between rehabilitation & enhanced sports performance. By incorporating whole-body screens such as the FMS the influence of trunk stability & whole-body mechanics on shoulder function is identified. Stages 4-6 of the program use these results to integrate advanced shoulder strengthening with whole-body sport-specific strength & conditioning. This optimises shoulder function for improved sports performance & reduces your risk of future shoulder injury.

How to book your first appointment to join the Shoulder Program

The Shoulder Program is available to everyone, just the same as our regular physiotherapy services. To get started you can call us on 9280 2322 or contact us to book your initial screening session. This session takes approximately 40 minutes.

All of your sessions are booked & billed exactly the same as regular physiotherapy sessions. This means you are eligible for on-the-spot health fund rebates through the HICAPS system. See our physiotherapy page for more info, or us on 9280 2322.

Contact Kieran for more information

The Central Performance Shoulder Program is managed by Kieran Doyle, our senior physiotherapist. Kieran is a Masters-qualified physiotherapist with extensive clinical expertise & post-qualification training in shoulder management. His experience includes working with athletes, particularly overhead athletes, as well as the general population. He also holds a degree in exercise & sports science which enhances his exercise prescription skills from rehab right through to high-performance levels.

If you have a shoulder pain that is restricting your daily activity or sporting performance then our Shoulder Program could start you on a journey to achieving your health & sporting goals. Book your first appointment by calling us on 9280 2322 or contact us for more information.